Brussels, 09/02/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission requested, last week, information from Microsoft on its "Windows 2000" system, announced this Wednesday the European Commissioner for Competition, Mario Monti. The world leader in computer platforms was four week to answer; "the Commission will then see" if it wishes to start formal proceedings. The request for information does not affect the launch of Windows 2000 on the European market, planned for 17 February: this decision is Microsoft's, indicated the Commissioner.
According to small to medium sized companies and Microsoft competitors who called upon the Commission, Windows 2000 and made so as to reinforce Microsoft's dominant position in the operating platform market, indicated Mario Monti. According to the competitors allegations, he specified, with Windows will be interoperable, which will defacto force server clients to buy Windows 2000. In dominating the market of software services, Microsoft will win in fin a dominant position also on the commercial market and on the e-commerce market, noted Mario Monti. Windows 2000 will replace the Windows NT system and will place itself on a par with Unix.
Mario Monti underlined that the Commission is dealing with several dossiers concerning Microsoft. EUROPE recalls that the European executive have among other authorised last May Microsoft to conclude agreements with European suppliers access to the Internet, on condition that these agreements do not lock the market for Internet navigators for Microsoft competitors (see EUROPE of 11 May 1999). On the other hand the Court of Justice cancelled the Commission decision that refused the lodge of a complaint made in October 1998 by the platform importer Micro Leader Business (see EUROPE of 17 December). This is the first time the Commission takes the policy decision to re-examine the Microsoft case, a domain left until now for the American legal system. As opposed to the case ruled over in the United States, the Commission is exclusively looking into the server platform, specified Commissioner Monti.